NORAD Santa Tracker

NORAD Santa Tracker, Anxious for Christmas or know some young ones who are? On Thursday, a special website launched just for the holiday season, bringing games and videos leading up to Christmas Eve.

On Dec. 24, the NORAD Santa Tracker starts tracking Santa’s journey, a special treat for believers young and old.

The tradition started in 1955 after an advertisement for Sears Roebuck & Co. misprinted a telephone number for a special “Santa hotline.” Instead of reaching Kris Kringle, the number put kids through to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Commander-in-Chief’s operations, according to a description on the NORAD Tracks Santa Facebook page, which has more than 715,600 “likes.”

Colonel Harry Shoup, Director of Operations at the time, received the first ‘Santa’ call and had his staff check radar data for Santa. From then on, children who called in were given an update on his position.